Service supply chain systems : a systems engineering approach

Supply chain management is a well-developed area. The traditional supply chains are dynamic systems which include the forward and reverse flows of physical products and the related information and fund. However, a service supply chain is different because the real "product" may take the form of a "service" which implies that many traditionally crucial decisions in supply chain management such as product shipping problems are no longer important. Here, a service supply chain is defined as a supply network that transfers resources into services or servitised products, with or without physical products, to satisfy customer needs. As a result, managing a service supply chain system requires innovative strategies with new models. Currently, there is an absence of a comprehensive reference source that provides the state-of-the-art findings on this important topic. It will thus be significant to develop a well-balanced edited volume that includes both theoretical results (from different perspectives) and application cases/studies on service supply chain systems. This book is a pioneering text on service supply chain systems. It features papers which adopt the systems engineering approach in conducting service supply chain analysis. It includes both theoretical results (from different perspectives) and application cases/studies on service supply chain systems. It will be a good reference book for industrialists and academics who are interested in the service industry, service operations, service management, and service sciences.